The American Academy of Pediatrics has published a report on adolescent suicide in Pediatrics and attention to suicidal thoughts. With that guidelines from nine years ago have been updated that will serve pediatricians and other professionals related to childhood and adolescence; it is about appropriately assessing different risk situations for minors.
We counted here that suicide is the third cause of death among the population aged 0 to 19, but in the United States they have alarming figures: it has become the second cause of mortality between 15 and 19; only unintentional injuries are behind in incidence. Benjamin Shain, as the lead author and leader of the study, affirms that bullying is a trigger, and the connection between bullying and suicide has finally been recognized.
However, it is not the only cause, since the risk factors are various, while the protective factors are minimized. when the adults in charge of these (still) children are not able to perceive changes or intervene if necessary. Suicide history (or suicide attempts), suicidal ideation of relatives in the presence of the minor, mental health problems in parents, questioning of orientation or sexual identity by the environment, physical, psychological or emotional abuse, mental health problems (including sleep disorders or bipolar disorder), episodes of substance intoxication, post-traumatic stress, pathological use of ICT or the Internet, among others.
Teen suicide: a real but non-existent idea for adults.
There are also other causes such as the deterioration of family relationships, difficulties at school, social isolation, excess stressors in their lives ... The question is, are we aware of how vulnerable adolescents are? Sometimes mothers and fathers believe that with growth we must distance ourselves, However, along with leaving them their own and respecting their privacy, we can and must be present as reference figures.. We are models, we serve as a guide, and we can also contain, help manage emotions, attend to their concerns, and respect their tastes and needs. Motherhood and fatherhood are very satisfactory paths, but long-haul, and it is not for less: it is people who are being built.
Here we have talked of depression and stress in minors, and of the injuries inflicted; finding out that a person who has his whole life ahead of him develops such serious emotional conflicts is very hard, but the solution is to face the problems no matter how big they are, because a girl or a boy cannot handle it alone. Fear, shame, uncertainty will make us tend to minimize suffering, it is just a fantasy, reality has another face, a face that we cannot see but it manifests itself, sometimes in the worst possible way.
How is it tackled?
It is common sense that if the parents detect signs they take their daughter or daughter to the pediatrician or family doctor, or to a psychologist; the former can refer to a Mental Health Unit. My advice is to ask for the opinion of several professionals and decide who to go to, unless we find ourselves with an acute crisis or self-injury, in which case, we will head to the Hospital Emergencies, and then start or resume outpatient treatment. The report I am talking about mentions the levels of severity, according to the risk of suicide, which must be assessed; prevention or early detection is always better, of course.
And a family accompaniment is necessary, it is not enough to take the child weekly to his treatment, if necessary the whole family will go to family therapy, and When relationship patterns that need to be changed are detected, the necessary adjustments will be made.
Pediatricians: when screening is done first by the doctor
The American Academy of Pediatrics has included advice for pediatricians in the document, because sometimes the adolescent comes to the doctor with emotional problems that have not been detected by their relatives. The signs or symptoms of depression should be taken into account. The doctor may also ask if there are firearms in the home or about the relationship with the parents. On the other hand, it is required that they receive specific training and establish coordination mechanisms with other community, health or educational resources..
Suicide risk is present regardless of socio-economic origin or race, although rates vary in certain populations. As for the methods (remember that we are talking about the United States) that are used are asphyxia, firearms, poisoning and launching from high altitude. Anyone who has responsibility for the care or education of adolescents is recommended to supervise the contents that are viewed in the information and communication media, because suicidal behavior can be imitated; Unless they do not access violent or risky content without after talking about it with an adult.